Mass Effect Comic-Con Panel Reveals the Return of the N7 Program and a New Mako (Updated)

BioWare will be introducing a new Mako infantry fighting vehicle and bringing back the N7 program in the next Mass Effect.

UPDATE: BioWare has officially posted an HD video of the entire event, including the panel's Mako and new protagonist content.

According to PC Gamer, EA held a panel for the next Mass Effect at San Diego Comic-Con. The panel explicitly mentioned that this game is not going to be called "Mass Effect 4." The Escapist was able to capture a video of the panel (featured above), which includes the new Mako infantry fighting vehicle in action. This new Mako looks and functions more like Christopher Nolan's version of the Batmobile, but with four wheels at the back of the massive vehicle and two in the front. The video featured the new Mako driving on a snow-covered planet (said to be from the first game) at high speeds, hinting that the slow-paced exploratory elements from the first Mass Effect will be a lot more enjoyable.

EA also unveiled some new body armor pieces for your new protagonist to wear in Mass Effect. These outfits feature the traditional N7 logo Shepard had on his gear throughout the series. Mind you, BioWare has been adamant that Shepard's tale is done -- this is likely just a new soldier with the Systems Alliance military's prestigious rank. The N7 logo on this character suggests the next protagonist of the Mass Effect series will be another high-end, special forces soldier with tons of field experience, similar to Shepard's backstory in the first game. Since N7 is part of the Systems Alliance, the likelihood of a non-human protagonist is low.

BioWare has been adamant that this will be a new story, but set in the same universe. The studio hasn't revealed where in the timeline will this new title will take place, but it will still feature the same races we have become very familiar with -- here's to hoping we get a Hanar villain.

The pictures of the new armor sets had "Your Hero" above each one, and "Your Mako" was labelled over the vehicle's corresponding pictures. This suggests that you will be able to customize your Mako vehicle similar to Shepard's armor in Mass Effect 2 and 3 but on a grander scale.

Unfortunately, BioWare claims that the next Mass Effect is still years away. Stay tuned as we will continue to provide up-to-date coverage on Mass Effect once more information is available.